Law (J.D.)/Business Administration (M.B.A.)
The J.D./M.B.A. joint-degree program offers a competitive advantage for legal professionals who need a solid understanding of business practices, especially for corporate attorneys or legal/management consultants.
A solid understanding of the business world can be invaluable in many areas of law. Students in the J.D./M.B.A. joint-degree program combine the management expertise and business skills of an M.B.A. with a law degree, cultivating a unique and marketable skill set for the next economy.
This program is particularly valuable for those law students who intend to be involved in activities and commercial transactions within the business community. The M.B.A. program’s focus on professional specialization, combined with business-oriented law courses in the law school curriculum, enhances a lawyer’s ability to work effectively as part of the corporate and business worlds.
Enrollment in the joint J.D./M.B.A. joint-degree program enables a student to obtain a J.D. degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law and an M.B.A. degree from Stuart School of Business in approximately three and a half to four years of full-time study or five years of part-time study.
Program Overview
A solid understanding of the business world can be invaluable in many areas of law, especially for corporate attorneys or legal/management consultants. The primary objective of the program is to provide law students with a strong academic background in management.
Career Opportunities
Depending on their focus, business lawyers might provide advice to startups; negotiate and create a broad spectrum of contracts; help their clients form joint ventures; or engage in asset securitization, project finance deals, the leasing of operating space, obtaining licenses, transferring property, or negotiating contracts involving intellectual property rights or noncompetition agreements.
Business lawyers may also counsel clients on complying with federal legislation, such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, False Claims Act, or Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. They might represent clients before federal and state agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or the Financial Industry National Regulatory Authority.
Possible jobs include:
- Administrative law judge
- Auditor
- Compliance officer
- Consultant
- Corporate attorney
- In-house counsel
- Government attorney
- Law firm associate or partner
Joint-degree program students may apply up to 12 credits of M.B.A. coursework taken at Illinois Tech's Stuart School of Business toward the requirements for the J.D. degree. No credit may be applied toward the J.D. degree for courses completed prior to the commencement of law studies. Students should work with their Stuart graduate academic adviser on their program of study and for information about applying certain J.D. courses toward the M.B.A. degree.
Candidates for the J.D./M.B.A. joint-degree program must apply to and be accepted by each program separately and complete a Registration as a J.D./M.B.A. Student Form in the Office of the Registrar. Admissions information for the J.D. program is available from the Chicago-Kent Office of Admissions and for the M.B.A. program from Stuart School of Business. Students may apply to the M.B.A. program after beginning the J.D. program but must be enrolled concurrently in both programs for one or more terms to receive the benefits of the joint degree.
Stuart Scholarships
Students pursuing the Stuart School of Business M.B.A. degree who demonstrate a continuing commitment to innovation are eligible to apply for the Chicago Innovation Scholarship, which awards up to $14,000 for the degree program. Learn more about Stuart scholarships.